Syrian refugees demand help from Kerry at Jordan camp

July 18, 2013|Reuters

(This story contains material from a member of the pool ofState Department correspondents in Jordan, of which ArshadMohammed of Reuters is a member.)

By Arshad Mohammed

ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan, July 18 (Reuters) - Syrianrefugees angrily told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry onThursday that the United States should set up a no-fly zone andsafe havens in Syria to protect them.

Visiting a camp that holds roughly 115,000 Syrian refugeesin Jordan about 12 km (eight miles) from the Syrian border,Kerry spent about 40 minutes with half a dozen refugees whovented their frustration at the international community'sfailure to end Syria's more than two-year-old civil war.

He told them Washington was considering various options,including buffer zones for their protection, but that thesituation was complex and much was still under consideration.

"Where is the international community? What are you waitingfor?" a Syrian woman, who did not give her name, told Kerry atthe United Nations' Zaatari refugee camp. "We hope that you willnot go back to the States before you find a solution to thecrisis. At least impose a no-fly zone or an embargo."

Waving a pen in the air and tapping it on the table, thewoman referred to the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, whichends in three weeks. She said: "Mr. Secretary, if the situationremains unchanged until the end of Ramadan this camp will becomeempty. We will return to Syria and we will fight with knives.

"You, as the U.S. government look to Israel with respect.Cannot you do the same with the children of Syria?"

NOT "CUT AND DRY"

Kerry made an aerial tour of the tents and pre-fabricated,container-like homes that form by far the biggest camp forSyrians in Jordan. Meeting refugees afterward in a fenced-offadministrative section, he acknowledged the anger.

"They are frustrated and angry at the world for notstepping in and helping," Kerry told reporters.

"I explained to them I don't think it's as cut and dry andas simple as some of them look at it. But if I were in theirshoes I would be looking for help from wherever I could findit."

Kerry did not enter the area of the vast camp where therefugees live, but kept to the adjacent, fenced-offadministrative area where humanitarian officials work and live.The half dozen refugees came to meet Kerry in a conference roomwithin the administrative zone.

"We are not satisfied with the American answer. We neverwere. We just need ... action," a second woman told reportersafter meeting Kerry.

During the meeting, Kerry told the refugees that many youngAmericans had died or lost their limbs "fighting for the freedomof Iraq" and "fighting for the freedom of Afghanistan".

After the request for buffer and no-fly zones, Kerry said:"A lot of different options are under consideration. I wish itwas very simple. As you know, we've been fighting two wars for12 years. We are trying to help in various ways, includinghelping Syrian opposition fighters have weapons.

"We are doing new things. There is consideration of bufferzones and other things but it is not as simple as it sounds."